Mitchell McCallson is RHS Artist of the Month

Published February 21, 2013 at 11:58 am

Mitchell McCallson was named the January Artist of the Month at Royalton High School.

Mitchell McCallson, son of Delina and Michael McCallson, was recently named Royalton High School’s (RHS) January Artist of the Month. He has always had an interest in cartooning, and this year he is honing his skills by creating original works for his college level, AP 2D Studio Art class offered at Royalton High School.

“Shows like ‘The Simpsons’ inspired me want to draw cartoons as well as an artist named Duane Barnhardt who wrote a book about cartooning. I think I doodled on every homework assignment or test that I took for the next 10 years,” said McCallson. “Sometimes the teachers appreciated it, but most of the time, they did not.”

Art instructor Carl Halverson said he remembered McCallson’s work on his storybook project in his seventh grade art class.

“Mitch’s drawing skills and ideas were a work in process back then. His storylines were always unique and pretty much outside of the box. While some classmates were cartooning a cute little family pet, Mitch would take that same pet, throw a helmet, goggles and jetpack on it, and launch it into space to whipe out aliens,” said Halverson. “His concentration for his AP Studio Art class consists of a dozen original scenes from his life in and around school. The extremely animated, recognizable characters are friends, teachers and coaches who have been part of typical scenes that make you see a humorous side of a sometimes serious situation. We’ll really miss Mitch around here.”

McCallson said he intends to attend Central Lakes College in Staples to pursue an associate degree in videography.

“To create a story with a camera, a computer or a drawing pad is something that I will continue to do for the rest of my life. I hope to learn animation so I could one day create something like ‘Adventure Time’ or ‘The Simpsons,’” said McCallson.

“Art will always be a huge part of my life. There are many schools in the area that don’t even offer college credits in the art department through AP Studio Art. Without Mr. Halverson, his classes and the support of my friends and family, art might not even be such an important part of my life,” he said.